By Ramsey Baden | July 22, 2018
On the fourth floor of the Modern Languages Building at Emory, the Institute of Quantitative Theory & Methods has been innovating for six years in the field of data science. The office’s goal is to collaborate with everyone to bring data science skills into every field, from the natural sciences to the social sciences and humanities. Ann Powers, who leads the Institute’s operations and communications strategy, has seen the amount of waste that offices can generate. “We used to use plastic K-cups, because everyone hated the big coffee pots. But I hated the plastic waste from the K-cups,” she says. Coffee is one of the biggest areas in which the Institute has become more sustainable, as Powers has led the office to purchase compostable K-cups. Additionally, the Institute now shuts off computers and lights when office workers are no longer inside, a simple but effective measure to save energy.
Powers points to the Green Offices program as a key incentive to practice sustainability in her own office. According to her, “meeting with OSI definitely triggered a unified effort to increase sustainability in our office.” The Institute of QTM has a Silver Green Office Certification. To read more about the Green Offices program, click here.